Location tracking can refer to the attaining of the current position of a mobile device (e.g., mobile phone) regardless of whether the device is stationary or moving. Localization may be accomplished in many ways. Localization can be accomplished via multilateration of radio signals between (three or more) radio towers of the network and the device; signal strength translates to range and the intersection of range arcs from three (3) or more antenna locations creates a localization ellipse in which the mobile device is located. Similarly, localization may be accomplished via multi-angulation. Standard cellular antenna towers, by their very construction, break the 360 degrees of arc surrounding the tower into multiple sectors (e.g., cell site sectors). Receipt of signals from a mobile device by such a cellular antenna array can easily be interpreted as an angular measurement or azimuth angle measured from True North representing the vector from the antenna to the mobile device. Azimuth angles from three (3) or more antenna sites can be multi-angulated to create a localization ellipse in which the mobile device is located. Localization could be accomplished by simply as using the known location and effective range of a low power communication node such as a pico cell (a.k.a. femto cell) many of which can only communicate with mobile devices at ranges short enough to qualify with the Federal Communications Commission (F.C.C.) as “precise locations.” Alternatively, localization could simply be determined by the mobile device itself, via a global positioning system (GPS) or similar space or airborne based localization mechanisms, and then reported by the mobile device to core telecommunications infrastructure.
The Mobile Location Protocol (MLP) is an application-level protocol for receiving the position of Mobile Stations (e.g., mobile phones, wireless devices, etc.) independent of underlying network technology. The MLP serves as the interface between a Location Server and a location-based application. MLP Services are based on location services defined by the third generation partner project (3GPP).
Many users of mobile devices (e.g., mobile phones, smart phones, etc.) live and/or work in close proximity to anywhere from hundreds of other users of mobile devices to millions of other users of mobile devices if the mobile device users live within the boundaries of heavily populated urban areas. Many mobile devices includes some form of self-location technology including but not limited to systems such as the systems such as the United States' Global Positioning System (GPS), Russia's GLObalnaya NAvigatsionnaya Sputnikovaya Sistema (GLONASS), the European Galileo Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS), etc.